| Kidney (Renal) Cancer |
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| The Cancer Monthly database
currently has the clinical results (survival, side effects, and more)
for 38 recent kidney cancer therapies including hormone therapy, biological
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| Introduction
 Renal cell carcinomas account for 90 to 95% of malignant
neoplasms arising from the kidney. The annual incidence of renal cell
carcinomas continues to rise and now includes nearly 36,000 cases annually
in the U.S. resulting in 12,500 deaths. The male to female ratio is 2:1.
This cancer can be diagnosed at any age, but the incidence peaks between
the ages of 50 and 70.
Notable features include resistance to chemotherapy,
infrequent but occasional responses to biological therapies such as interferon
alpha and interleukin 2 and anecdotal reports of spontaneous regressions.
The symptoms include hematuria, abdominal pain, and
a flank or abdominal mass. Other symptoms are fever, weight loss, anemia,
and a varicocele. The standard evaluation of patients with suspected renal
cell tumors includes a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis, a chest radiograph,
urine analysis, and urine cytology.
Staging and Prognosis
Two staging symptoms commonly used are the Robson classification
and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system. The
following table is taken from the Robson classification system. The prognosis
generally depends on stage and there are four main stages (I to IV):
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Stage
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Description
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5-year Survival
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I
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Confined to the kidney
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66%
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II
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Extend through the renal capsule, but confined
to Gerota's fascia
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64%
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IIIA
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Involve the renal vein or vena cava
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64%
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IIIB
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Involve the hilar lymph nodes
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20%
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IV
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Includes tumors that are locally invasive
to adjacent organs (excluding the adrenal glands), or distant
metastases
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11%
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Treatment
Localized Tumors - The standard management
for stage I or II tumors and selected cases of stage III disease is radical
nephrectomy.
Advanced Disease - Investigational therapy is the first-line
treatment for metastatic disease as no immune approach or chemotherapy
agent has shown significant anti-tumor activity. The prognosis is highly
variable. Surgery has a limited role for patients with metastatic disease.
One indication for nephrectomy is to alleviate pain or hemorrhage from
a primary tumor.
Interferon alpha and interleukin-2 produce regressions
in 10 to 20% of patients but these are rarely durable.
Treatment Results
The Cancer Monthly database currently has the clinical results
(survival, side effects, and more) for 38 recent kidney cancer therapies
including hormone therapy, biological therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy.
Sign Up and See the Results Right Now
Source: Howard I. Scher, Robert J. Motzer, Bladder and Renal Cell
Carcinomas, in HARRISON'S PRINCIPLES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, pt. 5
§ 80, at 539-543 (Dennis L. Kasper, M.D. et al., eds, 16th ed 2005).
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